Ah, it’s that time of year again. The time when everyone makes preseason predictions and picks favorites…and it all goes to hell in one dance. Well, my preseason guess of JR Martinez as the one to beat holds true. Very happy with Ricki and Chynna, although I am afraid that Chynna won’t kill the latin and may fade into the wood work. How much do I love Carson? Let me count the ways.

Anyway, I’m very afraid that no one is going to like my numbers – *I* don’t even like my numbers. But they are what they are. By the way, Maks fans, Tony fans and Karina fans missed out if they didn’t check out Ricki’s live Ustream tonight as all of those pros made appearances. You might want to check it in upcoming weeks.

Okay, so what do the numbers say??

The Judges Scores and Percentages

Place

Celebrity

Score

Percentage

1.

JR

22

10.14

1.

Chynna

22

10.14

3.

Hope

21

9.68

4.

Ricki

20

9.22

5.

Kristin

19

8.76

6.

David

18

8.29

7.

Carson

17

7.83

7.

Chaz

17

7.83

9.

Nancy

16

7.37

9.

Rob

16

7.37

11.

Elisabetta

15

6.91

12.

Ron

14

6.45

Well, first off, I think that Chynna, JR, Hope and Ricki are safe to dance next week. BUT, Chynna and Hope need to make a better impact next week – Hope needs to let Maks lead, and Chynna needs to have another great dance and get more personality. Like Courtney, I’m getting a real Audrina vibe from her and dancing can only save you for so long. JR did a beautiful job, as did Ricki, and I don’t think anyone will forget them. At least, I hope not.

The middle of the pack?? Well, it’s freakin’ insane. There’s a whole bunch of meh with a hearty dose of WTF?? Of the middle of the pack, Chaz and Carson are the standouts – lovely surprises both of them. And I must say that her partnership with Chaz is making me into a Lacey fan. And how much did I love that show of support by the male pros after Chaz danced and they’re getting ready to head back to the floor?? Very, very much. Derek and Maks stood out to me as two of many who gave supportive back slaps. Read more..

I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)

Ok, let’s start off with my favorite interviewer George Pennacchio. He gets deeper with his questions and they are always “original” and what’s more, he just cares. From On The Red Carpet…

Below is George telling Kim and David that David has a child-like innocence about him and it came out on the dance floor. George thinks David tried so hard. Kym thinks David can go all the way because he has the right tools. David gets bashful and hope’s he’ll be back next week.

Maks and Hope are pleased because they reached their goal of getting “7”‘s. They are surprised, excited, and happy they are in 2nd place. Maks said he feels he has won already with his Mom calling all in tears because her boys are together dancing on the same show. Read more..

I'm a fashion and music fan....and I have always loved dancing too of any kind. Dancing With The Stars seems to have this way of bringing all of those things together. One of my favorite dancing quotes at the moment: "No matter what, nobody can take away the dance you've already had...." ~Gleb Savchenko . For fun music and dance mixes, visit WilUnleashed Soundcloud.

So ends the first night of competition in season 13 I must say, tonight was…interesting, as far as premieres go. On the downside, the bad performances seemed to outweigh the good ones; on the upside, even some of the bad ones were still pretty entertaining! The judges are still under the influence, the new stage still looks like a tripping hazard, and Brooke…is still the same old ditzy Brooke, just with a fancy new hyphenated last name. But on with the rankings!

1.) JR & Karina – I know I had already pegged this guy as the one to win this season, but man – I still got a little slack-jawed (and misty-eyed) watching him tonight He’s extraordinarily fluid in his movements – he was the only one I saw who really finished his lines tonight – and wasn’t in a hurry to do so. Everything felt like a piece of cake to him, while the level of difficulty impressive. And Carrie Ann was right – JR was one of the few tonight that managed to connect both with the dance AND their partner/the audience. I find that highly impressive at this stage of the competition, when so many celebs can only either dance or connect, and not do both. He did seem to get a bit thrown off by some of the fancier turns, but considering how fluid the rest of the dance was, it’s not a huge deal. Personality-wise, I can honestly say I’m inspired by how positive and grateful JR is in his attitude towards life – in a society where we place so much emphasis on looks, it’s incredibly refreshing to see someone who can be secure (and even crack jokes!) about a very traumatic and disfiguring injury. Not only do I feel inspired, but Karina seems inspired as well – it’s nice to see the smile she had with Ralph last season, back again even brighter this season I think these two have a long, hard, gorgeous journey ahead of them on the show…which I can’t wait to see! Read more..

Ultrasound sales specialist by day, semi-knowledgeable DWTS fan by night...with a smattering of hair & makeup enthusiast, occasional model, and crazy cat lady peppered in to make things REALLY interesting ;-) I might pee my pants in happiness if Donnie Wahlberg ever does DWTS - or if they ever use "Sunglasses at Night" as a paso doble. Check out some of my other work at pureamericasgottalent.com!

Good Morning America went behind the scenes to see how the new cast is preparing for Dancing With The Stars tonight! You can see some “never seen before dancing action”. They get interviewed too. I don’t want to spoil it for you. Take a peak below to see what I mean.

And for fun, be sure to see ESPN today to read some fun advise from some of the former “athelete” contestants!! I love this one from Kristi Yamaguchi…

Kristi Yamaguchi, Olympic champion figure skater
Season 6: Champion

Kristi Yamaguchi and her partner Mark Ballas Most challenging style of dance: The samba was a tough one for me — lots of technique that is just too hard to pick up in four days.

The one thing I wish I’d known before the show started: I wasn’t prepared for the emotional and mental stress. As the weeks go on, there is so much to learn and remember — lots of mental stamina required.

Most challenging aspect of the show: Learning how to dance. And then it was being ready for live TV every Monday.

Most exciting part: Learning how to dance. I had an amazing teacher and partner in Mark Ballas.

Burning a lot of calories on the show means: For me, it was everything in moderation as always. As an athlete, I’m sure Hope knows how to gauge what she needs for energy and stamina. I did treat show days like game or competition days as far as diet is concerned.

Biggest piece of advice: The No. 1 thing is to have fun. Be open and go with the flow. If you take it too seriously and get too stressed out, you won’t enjoy all it has to offer. Pace yourself, too!

How to become the champion: Stay healthy! Eat well, sleep as much as possible. … Also, take the judges’ comments seriously. They are usually trying to be constructive and appreciate it when they see you trying to apply it. And again, have fun. If you’re having fun, the audience will have fun right along with you.

“Episode 1301 A + Meet the Cast”– A live one-hour special, “Dancing with the Stars: Meet the Cast,” airing TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network, features the most exciting moments from Monday night’s performances, along with commentary from the judges and never-before-seen footage from the teams’ first weeks of training. Following the one-hour special will be the Season Premiere of “Dancing with the Stars the Results Show” (9:00-10:01 p.m., ET), with musical performances by Harry Connick, Jr. and LMFAO. By evening’s end, the first couple of the season will be sent home.

This week, Grammy ® and Emmy® Award winner Harry Connick, Jr. is set to perform “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever” from his upcoming Broadway musical by the same title. Electro hip-hop duo LMFAO also hits the stage, performing a medley of “Sexy and I Know it” and “Party Rock Anthem.” Both musical acts will be accompanied by “Dancing with the Stars” pros on the dance floor. Tuesday night’s musical acts will be the first to perform on the spectacular newly redesigned set that incorporates touches of the original ballroom, but now with three tiers of amphitheatre style balconies and state of the art staircase that moves with the band on a rising platform.

I'm a fashion and music fan....and I have always loved dancing too of any kind. Dancing With The Stars seems to have this way of bringing all of those things together. One of my favorite dancing quotes at the moment: "No matter what, nobody can take away the dance you've already had...." ~Gleb Savchenko . For fun music and dance mixes, visit WilUnleashed Soundcloud.